Analysis: Legislative leaders earn marks, from A+ to D-

The 2014 legislative session is in the books now. Lawmakers left Jackson late Wednesday night after balancing the budget and filling the state's rainy day savings account, overhauling criminal justice policy, approving a pay raise for teachers and some lower paid state employees, passing a ban on abortions after 20 weeks and adding more troopers to the roads.

They also argued over, and eventually passed, a bevy of conservative social-issue type measures, including a controversial "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" and a passel of gun-rights laws, including a September sales tax holiday weekend for buying guns and ammo.

There were notable political battles as usual, but oddly, these were more often between the Republican leadership than partisan.

The top five state/legislative leaders each claimed some victories, some losses and some toss-ups.

Here's an admittedly subjective report card for those leaders:

Gov. Phil Bryant

Sets goals: A

Although the holder of a constitutionally weak office when it comes to the Legislature, Bryant came at this session like a spider monkey. He started announcing his policy initiatives including "The Year of Public Safety" last summer, and outlined and made public his initiatives early on, including adding more troopers and drug testing welfare recipients.

Accomplishes tasks: B

Bryant's legislative agenda fared pretty well, although he lost a few battles, but again, he's at a constitutional disadvantage with lawmakers. He did use his main power, a special session order, to revive the proposal he backed for adding more district attorneys statewide.

Organizational skills: B+

There's not a lot a governor can do when a legislative session starts going off the tracks, but Bryant's late session orders appeared well-timed and got things moving, likely saving taxpayers about $40,000 a day if the Legislature had gone into extra days in a budget standoff.

Works well with others: C+

Bryant kept bully-pulpit pandering to minimal levels this year, although he did help lead a huge rally of state troopers and shouted "As God is my witness, help is on the way" as lawmakers were pondering the Department of Public Safety's budget. He probably could have provided more mediation on teacher raises and other issues when his fellow Republicans butted heads, but he appeared to stay out of several battles.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves

Sets goals: C

Besides generalities on balancing the budget and spending, Reeves is the only legislative leader who didn't provide an outline of his session agenda this year. As the session started, he said one was forthcoming, but it never materialized. House leaders complained that they only learned what he was for or against when he killed or altered their initiatives.

Accomplishes tasks: A+

Reeves has for three years now controlled nearly every jot and tittle of legislation. After appearing lukewarm on a teacher pay raise on which his fellow Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn had worked for months, when Reeves decided he would go for a teacher raise, Reeves crafted his own plan, and that's was that.

Organizational skills: A+

Reeves rules in the Senate, and maintains tight control of his leadership. He often appears to be about three steps ahead of most everyone else in political and policy maneuvers.

Works well with others: D-

This is not Reeves' strong suit. He plays hardball. The House spent much of its final couple of hours in this year's session lamenting Reeves and the Senate "hoo-dooing" them and ramming their proposals through without much negotiating.

House Speaker Philip Gunn

Sets goals: A

Gunn came forward early with one of the overarching issues of this session, a teacher pay raise, and his leadership team, particularly Speaker Pro tem Greg Snowden, did the advance work setting up the overhaul of the criminal justice system.

Accomplishes tasks: C+

Granted, Gunn's job of running the larger House with only a slim GOP majority is difficult, akin to cat herding, and he should be graded on a curve. His teacher raise, notably, got co-opted by Reeves and the Senate, and Gunn and his leaders had to capitulate on that and several other issues late in the session.

Organizational skills: C+

Again, it's hard to keep the House in order, but there have been times it appeared Gunn's leadership team was struggling to maintain order and even decorum. But Gunn has improved here, and on the few votes this year that appeared to be tests of his speakership, such as passing the House version of the pay raise, he prevailed.

Works well with others: A

Gunn is usually willing to negotiate and compromise, and takes to the bully pulpit or political maneuvering less than his counterparts both Republican and Democratic.

Sen. Hob Bryan, Senate minority leader

Sets goals: B

Bryan and other Democratic legislative leaders this session were more organized, and formally announced and published goals this year, including increasing education and highway funding, a larger teacher raise and expanding Medicaid. Given the Republican majority in Mississippi, some of these were unrealistic goals.

Accomplishes tasks: C+

There's not a lot the Democratic minority can do in either chamber these days, except block GOP initiatives when they require a supermajority. Nevertheless, Bryan managed a coups on a K-12 funding increase vote, drawing in support from several Republicans.

Organizational skills: A+

Bryan is the foremost parliamentarian in the Legislature. He knows the rules and procedures and timing, and that can be a powerful tool. He masterfully, with bipartisan support, finagled a $60-million K-12 spending increase in the Senate this session. It didn't pass in the end, but it was likely the leverage that resulted in at least a modest increase of $10 million that hadn't appeared to be in the offing from Republicans.

Works well with others: C+

Bryan does work across the aisle, and as testament to this is one of relatively few Democratic chairmen of a powerful Senate committee (Judiciary A). But he's also known for having a conniption or three during a legislative session, and publicly blasting other leaders who disagree with his passionately held stances on public education funding and other issues.

Rep. Bobby Moak, House minority leader

Sets goals: B

Along with his Senate counterparts, Moak and House Democrats had a public agenda and their talking points ready at the start of the session (see above, with Bryan).

Accomplishes tasks: C+

The House Democratic minority wasn't able to push through much of its own agenda this session but did pressure the Republican leadership to accept the Senate teacher pay plan and managed to thwart several GOP-led education policy measures, such as special ed vouchers and appointed superintendents, in part through a loose confederacy with a handful of Republicans.

Organizational skills: B

Moak is a master of political maneuvering and 'strategery,' and fairly handy with the House Rules book. But organization and House Democrats are often mutually exclusive terms. The Democratic caucus is voting more like a caucus these days, but some large numbers still peel off and vote with the GOP leadership fairly often.

Works well with others: D+

Moak's not known for reaching across the aisle, unless it's to give the GOP leadership a shove. Like Reeves, he's more into maneuvering than negotiating. But he has helped form the aforementioned partnership with a handful of Republicans on public education policy.